Towing woes

Vehicle retrieval fees are excessively high, apartment complexes should expand guest parking

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There’s tuition, meal plans, rent, gas, groceries and extracurricular activities many students must pay for. Depending on the student, tuition itself can range anywhere from around a total of $53,504 to $121,864 after four years at JMU according to JMU's website. Those prices disregard any financial aid or scholarships. Many students who attend JMU are fortunate to be able to afford all of these expenses, but, it’s fair to say that finances are typically tight for college students. Some pick up extra jobs on top of school to manage these expenses. So, does it seem logistically fair to charge these young adults with $150 towing fees?

The answer should be easy: It’s not.

JMU has a student population of 20,346 undergrads, with 69% of students living off campus. This is approximately 13,848 students. There are many off-campus apartment complexes and houses for rent in Harrisonburg. These options are convenient for students, as they’re relatively affordable and close to campus. Though, there has been a progressing issue of students’ vehicles getting towed at these apartment complexes.

There are various towing companies that circulate around Harrisonburg and are designated to certain complexes. First Choice, J&L Towing, Simmons Towing and KAR Towing each charge approximately $80$170 for vehicle impoundment. These fees vary depending on the apartments’ policies, days of the week and holidays.

According to the Virginia code 46.2-1233.1, towing companies can charge a maximum of $150 for initial towing fees, and no more than $30 for extra fees.

Morgan Jaminson, a junior at JMU, said she was in shock when she came back to an empty spot where her vehicle previously had been. Although she was in a visitor spot, she didn't know she needed a visitor pass as well — she then had to pay about $200 to get her car back.

“We went to the game and when we came back my car was gone,” Jaminson said. “I was very frustrated, annoyed and confused.”

To add to the commotion, Jaminson’s friend’s vehicle proceeded to get towed a few minutes after hers.

There are designated visitor spots in each apartment complex, but there aren’t nearly enough, considering the high capacity of students. In each complex there’s typically one or two small areas for visitors to park. With the number of students that reside in each of these complexes, it makes no sense as to why there are only a few dozen available visitor spots. Jaminson said she believes more spots would be a simple solution to this problem.

Jaminson lived in North 38 and said because of their abundant number of spots, it never became an issue.

“I just think having more available options rather than having just a few for an apartment complex isn’t too much to ask for,” Jaminson said.

With this lack of infrastructure in correctly designing parking lots with enough spots, students are inevitably getting towed because there’s nowhere to park. While that’s a hassle in itself, the cost to retrieve a car is also unreasonable. With towing companies frequently circulating around the parking lots for students’ vehicles, it’s fair to say there’s a growing frustration within the student body. The question is whether anything will be done about it.